Issues

Lowering Costs

We are in a cost-of-living crisis. Melissa knows that the key to making life more affordable is creating good jobs. She will advance policies that reduce barriers to job growth and prioritize growing small businesses to strengthen our local economy. Melissa will prevent price gouging on groceries and essential goods and supports eliminating Trump’s tariffs to ease everyday costs.

Housing Affordability

As Mayor of Dublin, Melissa led it to a “Best Places to Live” designation, building housing at every level of affordability. If we want to lower the cost of housing, we need to build more. In Congress, Melissa will work to lower the costs of raw materials, provide incentives to build new housing, and make it easier for first-time homebuyers to afford a down payment and get a home loan.

Small Business

Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, employing tens of thousands of our neighbors, friends, and family. Melissa supports increased investment in small businesses through loans and free and low-cost services to help small business owners innovate and expand. She also supports a tax holiday – giving small businesses a one-year deferral of employment taxes to help them weather this demanding economy.

Childcare

Melissa remembers her struggles to afford childcare as a working mom. The rising cost of childcare is putting tremendous pressure on families, sometimes costing as much as monthly rent or mortgage payments. Melissa supports expanding the Child Tax Credit, recruiting and training qualified childcare workers, and paying them more. She also supports Paid and Family Medical Leave.

Access to Healthcare

As Director of Healthcare Services for an Alameda County Supervisor, Melissa works to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare. Melissa knows we can do better at driving down costs and improving health outcomes. In Congress, Melissa will prioritize patient health and preventative care, lower prescription drug costs, protect and expand Medicare, restore insurance subsidies to reduce the cost of insurance premiums, and restore funding for health programs that serve vulnerable families. There are also cost savings to be had by requiring national standards of care, creating national data sharing, and making costs and care more transparent and standard to drive down costs. Melissa will also fight to protect reproductive healthcare and restore reproductive freedom by supporting legislation like the Women’s Health Protection Act.

Immigration

ICE is out of control and should be eliminated. Melissa supports deporting criminals. However, ICE is deporting immigrants who are contributing members of our communities – many of whom are currently working their way through the immigration system. It took years for Melissa’s dad to become a U.S. citizen. She supports reforming our immigration system so that becoming a citizen is not such a long, complicated, and expensive process. Melissa supports a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and undocumented people. Melissa also supports strong border protections and efforts to work with surrounding countries to stem the flow of immigrants crossing our border.

Climate Change

Melissa is deeply concerned about the current climate crisis and supports a transition towards a diverse array of renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She supports legislation that fully restores the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest piece of climate legislation in modern times. The Trump administration’s rescission of programs created by the IRA set the country back on the progress we’ve made to reduce emissions. It also eliminated programs that seek to make decarbonization more accessible for low-income Americans who already struggle with the high cost of living. Melissa also supports legislation that reverses the staff cuts made to the EPA and the DOT.